We all know by now our verts are build much differently than a coupe. Does this mean that we should use a different suspension? I need to lower my vert... just not sure which set to use. Ultralites? BMR? Steeda?

Let me know your thoughts and what suspension you're using. How is your ride after the install?

 

Verts are a bit heavier, so most manufacturers make rear springs specifically for verts,, get them from your favorite brand/company & you'll be fine

Oh, and a strut brace helps out a LOT to gain back some frame stifness

 

Thanks GreyStang....
For my fellow S197 vert owners, what suspension did you decide on and why?

 

When I had my shifter installed at the performance shop, the mechanic was showing me underneath and how well the cars are constructed. He pointed out the frame supports exclusive to the verts, suggested shocks and exhaust as my next mods. He also installed my strut tower brace to stiffen the cowl flex.
As far as what fits, not all '05-08 parts will work on verts, as I was disappointed to discover with this Steeda item:
http://www.steeda.com/products/three..._box_brace.php

It's not much, but hopefully, others will give you some more specific suggestions.

 

Thanks Margarita Girl.... any advice at this point is good advice. For everyone else, what suspension are you running on your s197 vert?

 

At a certain point, there isn't much difference between the S197 coupes and convertibles with regard to parts numbers and parts specifications. With few exceptions (certain rear sway bars for example) what fits and does a job on a GT coupe will also do it on a convertible.

My choices were:

· Steeda Sport springs - dropped the front just under an inch. rear just under an inch and a quarter, no deterioration of ride quality I could sense.

· Tokico D-Spec adjustable shocks/struts - remarkable how they smoothed out the ride as compared to the 18,000-mile-old originals, and how they allow suspension tuning for autocross use.

· GT take-off front sway bar, H&R rear (26mm) bar - control of over- and under-steer is predictable and consistent. I have a Steeda adjustable front bar, reputed to increase roll resistance by 10% in the shortest-arm hole, to try when I get time to install it.

· BMR strut tower brace - eliminated 60% (I estimate) of the dreaded cowl-shake crossing a particularly nasty piece of street near here.

Wheels and tires make the most dramatic difference in handling and road feel, and are part of the suspension system. I had the original 16x7 + BFG cruiser tires on for just a few weeks, and only used them in drags one time and no autocrosses. Pretty comfortable, didn't tax the (stock) chassis to any great extent. Ran them one week at the drags, thinking about less rotating mass to accelerate, but no statistical difference could be proved relative to the GT Bullitt/Pirelli take-offs.

Those latter are labeled "Mud and snow" tires, but still did a decent job at autocrossing, even with tall tread. Same at the drags: Good enough that the un-tuned auto V6 just spun them a little bit in slam-the-throttle starts. Pretty noisy, even at very low speeds.

With a decent street-and-track suspension, I reckoned tires were finally the limiting factor (other than driver skill) and got some 18x8.5 Ford wheels and 245-45 Bridgestone RE-01R tires. Still breaking them in, may do an autocross this next Sunday. Ride is a bit more harsh, tread noise is much reduced from the Pirellis. Of course I have no idea what ultimate cornering power is, but Tire Rack says these are the first street tires to exceed 1 G on their skid pad. I'm expecting big (fast) things from this combo.